This invention relates in general to water tanks and, more specifically, to an auxiliary water tank for mounting between the frame and lower body of a motor vehicle.
A small auxiliary water tank has many uses on a motor vehicle such as an automobile, sports-utility vehicle or light truck. The water may be used as emergency drinking water for an off-road vehicle or other vehicle traveling in the desert or other sparsely inhabited area. At construction sites, having water available is useful for drinking, washing up, etc. Trips to the beach with small children benefit from a water source to rinse sand from feet, etc. before entering the vehicle.
In the past various coolers, jugs, jeep cans and the like have been used to transport water. These containers must be filled with water and placed in the vehicle where they occupy valuable interior space and are prone to tipping and spillage. Generally, the container must be removed from the vehicle and tipped to pour water therefrom, resulting in spilling and waste. Filling is inconvenient, since they must be carried to a water source, then returned to the vehicle.
Brackets of various types have been developed for mounting on the backs of trucks to carry conventional coolers filled with drinking water. These brackets and coolers occupy considerable space, require removal and reinstallation of the cooler whenever the cooler is refilled and are susceptible to theft unless secured by a padlocks or the like. In addition, they are not useful with automobiles, sports utility vehicles and the like.
All motor vehicles have fuel tanks built in to hold the engine fuel, typically gasoline or diesel fuel. In some cases, auxiliary fuel tanks may be added to increase the fuel capacity and driving range before refueling. These tanks are significantly different from water tanks used for wash water, drinking water, etc., in that they have permanent outlet tubes to deliver fuel to the engine and generally do not permit easy access for removing fuel into another vessel. Thus, these auxiliary fuel tanks are not adaptable to carrying water for drinking or washing.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved water tanks adapted to quick and secure mounting on a variety of vehicles, including automobiles and sports utility vehicles, which are unobtrusively mounted out of the way and substantially not visible to passersby, which permit easy and convenient filling to full capacity, and which permit easy and convenient withdrawal of water when needed.